Covid-19 bd
Appellate Division proceedings to continue virtually during lockdown; regular judicial work to be curtailed
During the nationwide strict lockdown from Thursday, regular court proceedings across the country including the Supreme Court will remain closed.
However, for emergency cases the chamber judge of the Appellate Division, three single benches of the High Court division and a magistrate each in the chief judicial magistrate court in each district and the chief metropolitan magistrate court in the metropolitan area would be available to serve until further orders.
The Appellate Division will also conduct proceedings remotely from home on two days during the initial 7-day lockdown.
The court officials and employees were instructed not to leave the workstation during this time.
Signed by Registrar General of the Supreme Court Md. Ali Akbar, separate notifications to this effect were issued Wednesday.
Also read: Govt outlines restriction rules ahead of ‘tough’ lockdown
The Appellate Division to go virtual
Amid the lockdown, the judges of the Appellate Division have decided to keep the virtual court open on July 6 and 7, from their respective homes.
For this, the concerned lawyers were asked to keep the case documents in their respective homes. They were told to stay at home to hear the case. For this, two officers of the Appellate Division were also instructed to join the court virtually from home.
However, the lawyers were asked to contact the Registrar General of the Supreme Court, the Registrar of the Appellate Division and the High Court Division and the Special Officer of the Supreme Court regarding any hearing in the chamber court.
Three HC benches to conduct
Although the normal trial was suspended due to the lockdown, the High Court Division would hear emergency cases virtually from July 1 until further orders.
Three benches of Justic Enayetur Rahim, Justice J. B. M. Hassan and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar would conduct according to jurisdiction.
Also read: Violation of lockdown rules to invite legal action, warns DMP
Magistrate court open
Although the normal judicial work would remain closed in all the courts, due to a constitutional obligation there will be a magistrate for the Chief Judicial Magistrate in each district and the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in the metropolitan areas.
However, Dhaka, Chattogram and Rajshahi divisions, being the busiest, were instructed to have one or more magistrates.
The notification instructed the judges and court officials not to leave their workstations.
At the same time, lawyers and litigants were asked not to come to the court premises during the lockdown.
Child to appeared directly in court
Due to a constitutional obligation a child involved in a conflict could be presented before a magistrate physically at the court.
Stringent lockdown: Biman's domestic flights suspended till July 7
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has suspended all domestic flights for seven days, from July 1 to 7, as the country enters "strict lockdown" early Thursday to tackle the rising tide of Covid-19 cases and fatalities.
However, the national flag carrier will operate a limited number of flights – from Dhaka to Chattogram, Sylhet and Cox's Bazar – for providing transit to international passengers.
Also read: Govt outlines restriction rules ahead of ‘tough’ lockdown
Passengers of the suspended flights can travel later with the same tickets, subject to vacancies, without paying extra charges, Biman Deputy General Manager (Public Relations) Tahera Khondoker said Wednesday.
Bangladesh's Covid-19 situation is getting from bad to worse. It reported a record-high number of daily Covid-19 infections after confirming its first cases on March 8 last year in the past 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
Also read: Violation of lockdown rules to invite legal action, warns DMP
The country, battling to get a second coronavirus wave under control, also reported more than 100 deaths for a fourth straight day.
The new 8,822 cases have pushed the country's caseload to 9,13,258, and 115 fatalities brought its toll to 14,503.
Quader urges party members to help people during lockdown
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has asked members of his party and allied bodies to stand by the helpless people during the strict lockdown due to be imposed on Thursday.
Quader was speaking virtually at a function marking distributing Covid health and safety products to 30 boarder districts and upazilas.
The distribution was organized by the party's relief and social welfare sub-committee at the Awami League president's political office in Dhanmondi this morning.
Saying that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has successfully tackled the first wave of corona by balancing between life and livelihood, Quader called for everyone’s cooperate in implementing her practical and timely initiative to manage the ongoing second wave.
Also read: Violation of lockdown rules to invite legal action, warns DMP
Coroner infections are now at high risk, the Awami League general secretary said, adding that high-level infections have spread from border districts to the capital, spreading to rural areas.
Quader said that it is necessary to take utmost measures for the safety of all.
He said there is no alternative to fully mask up to ward off the infections. The slightest negligence towards hygiene can cause death.
Mentioning that the Sheikh Hasina government has decided to impose strict restrictions from July 1 as per the advice of experts for the protection of the people, Quader called urged all to stay home for their own good.
Also read: Govt outlines restriction rules ahead of ‘tough’ lockdown
The Awami League leader said the prime minister always takes right decision in times of crisis and disaster.
Quader also called upon all to have confidence in the steps being taken by the prime minister to deal with the situation.
He said opposition BNP is merely spreading confusion among the people about government’s mass vaccination programme.
Jahangir Kabir Nanak, the party’s presidium member, presided over the function. Organizing Secretary Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain, Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, Health Secretary Dr Rokeya and Human Resources Secretary Samsunnahar Champa, Central Executive Member Syed Abdul Awal Shamim and Relief Sub-Committee Member Dr. Hedayetul Islam Badal were also present.
Lockdown: DRU urges law enforcers to cooperate with media people
Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) on Wednesday urged the law enforcement agencies and other authorities concerned to cooperate with the media people in discharging their professional duties during the strict lockdown set to be enforced from Thursday.
In a statement, DRU president Mursalin Nomani and general secretary Mosiur Rahman Khan also urged the media workers to carry their press cards while performing their duties.
They said the government is going to impose tough restrictions across the country from July 1 to prevent the upsurge of coronavirus infections.
The DRU leaders said the government in its notification issued on Wednesday listed mass media as ‘emergency services’ during the restrictions.
Also read: Violation of lockdown rules to invite legal action, warns DMP
“However, in the context of past experience, it can be seen that media workers in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, have been subjected to various forms of harassment while performing their professional duties (during such restrictions,” the statement said.
Under the circumstances, the DRU leaders called upon the law enforcement agencies and the authorities concerned to cooperate and play a responsible role so that the journalists and employees of newspapers, television and news portals are not subjected to any kind of harassment.
They also requested the media workers help the members of the law enforcement agencies carry out their professional duties.
Earlier in the day, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam told reporters that the journalists have been asked to cover their assignments after hanging their ID cards and they can move in the city to perform their duties during the seven-day tough lockdown.
Also read: Govt outlines restriction rules ahead of ‘tough’ lockdown
“Police won’t obstruct them. They can also use vehicles provided by their respective offices,” he added.
The government is all set to enforce a weeklong countrywide strict lowdown from Thursday in a bid to control the growing Covid infections.
All public movement, except emergency services, will be restricted during the lockdown by deploying the members and army and other law enforcement agencies.
Bangladesh to receive 2.5mn Moderna jabs from COVAX July 2-3: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said Bangladesh will receive 2.5 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine under the COVAX facility in two consignments on July 2 and July 3 respectively.
The Foreign Minister also said the first consignment of 2 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine will arrive soon.
“I think complexities over vaccine supply are eased,” he told reporters at Foreign Service Academy after a programme.
Dr Momen said huge money has been allocated and there is nothing to be worried about vaccine purchase. “We shouldn’t have faced any problem.”
Earlier, Deputy Chief of Mission at Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Hualong Yan said the first consignment of 2 million doses of vaccine as part of Bangladesh government's commercial purchase from China's Sinopharm are ready for delivery in Beijing.
READ: Individuals having appointments to be allowed to go to foreign missions during lockdown: FM
"China stands by our Bangladeshi friends in fighting the new wave of the pandemic," he said.
Bangladesh is likely to get 1.5 crore of Sinopharm vaccine doses from China while China says it is ready to supply more, if needed.
Earlier, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller tweeted saying Bangladesh will soon receive a gift of 2.5 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine from the American people via GAVI.
"As the largest contributor to COVAX, the U.S. is committed to increasing the country’s vaccine supply to beat the pandemic here and worldwide." Ambassador Miller said.
Bangladesh entered into a deal with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to purchase 30 million doses of a potential vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca for Covid-19.
Bangladesh was supposed to get five million doses of vaccine per month as the SII and Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharma signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for priority delivery of the vaccine doses.
Bangladesh has so far received only 7 million of Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine doses produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) through its contract. Bangladesh also received 3.3 million doses of vaccine as a bilateral partnership gift.
Regarding the national budget he said, an “optimistic budget” has been passed despite bad days due to Covid-19 situation with an expansion of the social safety net. “It has been proved again that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a friend of the poor.”
Responding to a question on use of Myanmar’s SIM cards in Rohingya camps, Dr Momen said the government stopped 4G services in the camps to stop criminal activities and trafficking in person.
He, however, said they reintroduced it amid desperate efforts from the UNHCR and rights bodies.
The Foreign Minister said the government has had no direct communication with the Myanmar government since the military took over power there. “We’re observing the situation.”
READ: S Asian nations should receive vaccines without any strings attached: FM
Earlier, Dr Momen along with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam spoke at the function marking the launching of Foreign Service Debating Club. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was also present.
Lockdown-induced price hike making life in Khulna miserable
The soaring prices of essentials in anticipation of the strict lockdown in Khulna has increased the sufferings of the low- and middle-income people.
They have been struggling to make ends meet and surviving seems to be the hardest challenge for them now.
The prices of edible oil, vegetables and other essentials were on the rise due to the multiple syndicates in the market, claimed many consumers.
Also read: Khulna Division sees highest daily death toll of 32 in single day
The lack of price monitoring reinforced the syndicates and unscrupulous practices of the traders.
For over a month, bottled edible Soybean oil (5 litres) was being sold for Tk 680-700. Non-bottled edible oil was Tk 140 per litre.
This week as well, the prices of onions, green chili, potato, papaya, brinjal, cucumber, pumpkin increased by Tk 10-20 per kilogram.
Also read: Covid claims 112 more lives in Bangladesh; positivity rate hits 23.97%
Saiful Islam, a trader in Sandha Bazar in Sher-e-Bangla Road, said the prices of all vegetables and essentials were going up. The strict lockdown in the district leaves no room for the prices of essentials to decline.
Meanwhile, in different retail markets of the town, lentils were selling at Tk 75-120 against last week’s prices of Tk 70-110.
Amid the soaring prices, consumers sought the intervention of the higher authorities for price monitoring.
US donates emergency Covid medical supplies to Bangladesh
The United States government on Tuesday donated emergency Covid-19 medical supplies to Bangladesh to help save lives, stop the spread of Coronavirus, and meet the health needs of people.
The US delivery that came through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is worth nearly $3 million.
The medical supplies include personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals and other frontline workers, laboratory equipment to expand Covid-19 testing, oxygen cylinders, and medicines to better manage and ensure timely critical care interventions for Covid patients.
The government of Bangladesh will distribute these supplies and medicines to the health facilities in the border regions where the need is greatest amid the current surge of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Also read: Covid claims 112 more lives in Bangladesh; positivity rate hits 23.97%
“Today’s handover of Covid-19 supplies and medicines are of the many examples of our successful and unique partnership as we find our way through the crisis together,” said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller during the event.
Health Secretary (Health Services Division) Lokman Hossain Miah was also present at the handover ceremony.
These supplies build on the United States’ ongoing efforts to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic in Bangladesh.
The USA has worked closely with Bangladesh since the beginning of the pandemic to strengthen the government’s response to prevent and respond to Covid-19, contributing more than $84 million to date in development and humanitarian assistance from USAID since March 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of State.
This assistance has helped save lives and treat individuals infected with Covid-19, strengthened testing capacity and surveillance, enhanced case management and infection prevention and control practices, and improved the supply chain and logistics management systems.
Also read: Massive vaccination to begin in July: PM
US support also focuses on protecting front line workers and increasing the public’s knowledge about Covid-19.
The United States has also provided 100 state-of-the-art ventilators and gas analyzers to help Bangladesh to produce its own ventilators, as well as tens of thousands of pieces of locally produced PPE including KN95 surgical masks, face shields, HAZMAT suits, full body gowns, medical-grade hand sanitizer, surgical gloves, and medical goggles to treatment facilities, law enforcement authorities, first responders, and customs inspectors.
The US support also includes mentoring and training for thousands of doctors and other frontline workers to improve the care given to Covid-19 patients across Bangladesh.
This support builds on the more than $1 billion in health assistance USA has provided to Bangladesh over the past 20 years and underscores the long-term commitment of the United States of America to ensuring access to quality, lifesaving health services for the people of Bangladesh.
Covid claims 112 more lives in Bangladesh; positivity rate hits 23.97%
The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is gradually heading towards a grim level as the country reported 112 more deaths and 7,666 fresh infections in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new infections, the country’s positivity rate reached another peak of 23.97% from Monday’s 23.86% which was recorded 23.57% last on April 9 this year.
The percentage reached this shocking level after the test of 31,982 samples during the period, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
New infections have been averaging 5,000 for the past few days – 75% of the peak.
Bangladesh is reporting over 100 deaths for the third consecutive day this month.
The country saw a record level of 8,436 Covid cases on Monday and the highest 119 deaths on Sunday since confirming its first cases on March 8 last year.
With the new numbers, the country’s death toll now stands at 14,388 while the caseload at 904,436.
However, the country’s fatality rate remained static at 1.59% while the recovery rate fell to 89.75% following a continuous drop.
Read: Massive vaccination to begin in July: PM
Of the deaths, 35 were reported in Khulna today, recording the highest among all divisions for the third consecutive day, while 22 in Dhaka, 21 in Rajshahi, 16 in Chattogram, 10 in Rangpur, four in Mymensingh, three in Barishal and one in Sylhet divisions.
The Dhaka division remained the highest fatal region recording 7,562 deaths followed by Chattogram with 2,727 deaths, Khulna with 1,235 deaths and Rajshahi with 1,011 deaths.
Nationwide lockdown from Monday, 'all out lockdown’ from July 1
The government will enforce an all out lockdown from July 1 as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and fatalities with the highly infectious Delta variant playing havoc.
Meanwhile, the country will go into the earlier announced strict lockdown ‘on a limited scale’ from Monday.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, chaired by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the chair on Saturday evening.
State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain confirmed the development to UNB.
“Nationwide lockdown will begin on Monday. However, for zonal closing of bills of the banking sector and various government offices at the end of the month, the maximum restrictions will kick in from July 1," he said.
Details on the lockdown will be known after the government issues a notification on Sunday, the minister added.
However, public transport will be suspended from Monday according to sources attending the meeting.
Alsor read: COVID-19: Daily caseload drops on back of reduced tests, as positivity keeps rising
Export-oriented factories are likely to be exempted from the restrictions, they said.
Earlier on Saturday, sources within Bangladesh Garment Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BGMEA) confirmed the news to UNB citing a circular issued by the organisation.
Health minister hopes to get 11 crore vaccine doses by December
Bangladesh hopes to procure 11 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines from different sources by December enabling it to provide the jabs to over five crore people, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Saturday.
Speaking at Manikganj Maleque said that negotiations are at an advanced level to sign a vaccine agreement with Russia.
He also added that the country will also receive doses of the Moderna vaccine very soon.
Read: Bangladesh to get 2.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine
The minister also stated that negotiations with the relevant stakeholders to manufacture vaccines in the country are going on in full swing.